The Apology
by fangirlized
Summary: Katniss' mother returns to District 12 after many years of avoiding the grieving path of her past.


p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"This was going to be harder than she expected. Not even in her worst nightmares was the smell of dust so strong, the wind from the woods si refreshing, and the memories so excrutiatingly vivid. It was like walking through the deserted alleys of her past, where she'd always been reluctant to revisit for all the sadness it brought back to her. She didn't find it real walking in the same footsteps the old her had once walked in. /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" It always brought her pain to think about how she-d been after her husband passed away. The black cloouud that hovered over her had taken years to push away and she knew that returning to District 12 was a risk. A risk she was willing to take even though her sun could be once again covered by the clouds. She'd changed after what happened to her youngest daughter, as she realized life was too precious to waste over the dead. /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" But she had never been able to show this to her eldest daughter. Although she had always loved her so much, she was unable to let her understand it. Even after so many years in District 13, dedicating her life to helping and saving lives at the hospital, the memories of Katniss haunted permanently her mind. This was the only way she could finally show her love./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" She entered further into the centre of the District, where everything was now cleaned up, years after the bombing. Her heart beat faster and louder with each step she took. She was old now, almost unrecognizable. She was scared to meet her daughter, maybe even terrified, not knowing at all what her reaction would be after all these years. She knew she had acted selfishly as her mother, leaving everything to a little, helpless girl when they were young while she lost herself in her own despair. She was afriad Katniss would not take her apology./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" But that didn't matter. She reminded herself why she was truly back, "Prim" she whispered. A tear rushed down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, scolding herself for not being strong enough. Keeping her head high, she walked towards the first clue as to where her daughter might be. A gorgeous bakery, embroidered with hand-painted images of a green forest. A forest so vivid she knew it could only represent her daughter. At the top, written in beautiful calligraphy, was 'Mellark Bakery'. Taking a deep breath and clutching the parcel in her hand, she walked inside./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" Maybe a part of her was even happy she didn't find her./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" At the counter was a little girl with dark curls and blue eyes doodling in a book. The similarity was crystalline. She got closer to the girl and smiled, "Those pictures are lovely." /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" The girl looked up, her sparkling blue eyes as clear as the sky. /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" "Thank you. My daddy taught me." She said./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" "Well, you must be a very lucky girl to have such a talented and wonderful father." The old woman fought hard to hold back tears. "Here." She handed the parcel over hoping she would never regret it. "Please give this to your mother."/p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" Just before the door closed behind her, the little girl said, "Goodbye grandma."/p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" It was the first time she left District 12 with a smile on her face./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"***/p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" When the girl's mother came in and saw the gold pin on her daughter's dress she gasped and let out a scream. /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" "Where did you get that?!" She asked, flames burning in her eyes. /p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" "Look in the parcel." Her daughter answered, scared by her mother's reaction./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" The mother rushed to the parcel, frightened of what past it might contain. She found a letter that said:br / 'emI'm sorry Katniss. For not being there. For making life so much harder for both you and your sister. For everything. I love you and always have. I hope you know that./em/p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"em Your mother.'/em/p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;"embr /em Tears filled her eyes, extingushing the fire of rage and fear. A smile soon pushed the tears away as she found a pearl tucked away at the bottom of the parcel. Peeta's pearl. She hadn't seen it since she left District 13. She never thought she'd see it again./p  
p style="margin: 20px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;" "Thank you." She mouthed./p 


End file.
